Not figuring in the Top 20 models and a 20% decline M-o-M in shipments is not what I had expected. Usually manufacturers curtail their December month production so that dealers can clear their inventory. But for a new car launch like Zest which supposedly has a 3 to 6 months waiting period, there is No reason for Tata to cut down on production because dealers would not have any stock in their inventory and those who booked their cars would not insist on a 2015 manufactured car.

Also what happened to Ford Figo? Only 151 units in December. Are we approaching launch of new Figo in Jan or Feb?

1) Ciaz3xxx is practically 50% of the mighty City Sales.
Do we see another disappointment here?

Fail to understand if it is the perception alone that plays spoil sport between the City and the Ciaz.

2)Zest
3000 odd again is a shocker.
T-BHP COTY and a very competent vehicle selling so low is not understandable.
Tata management will be unhappy.
Also, the buzz around the Zest is already on the wane.

3) BoleroIt makes a comeback and how. Displacing the mighty i20 and fielding news of its impending facelift, it brings cheers to the Mahindra fraternity.
The sub 4 mtr facelift though may not be very fruitful for this workhorse.

4) AmazeBenefits on Zest's shoulders and scales the 5K peak.
Inherent flaws nevertheless, the H brand shines through.
This has been a happy month for the Japanese company.

5) Figo

This could probably the case of stock clearance and making way for an early 2015 Ka based new Figo.
How else does one explain only 150 shipments for a car that brings moolah for the Americans?

6)Classic/Fiesta

Time to RIP. Profits from 218 shipments will not even adjust the monthly electricity bills for the Ford showrooms across the country!!
Very very disappointing nos.

7) Evo/Linea

Fiat better concentrate on engines only and not make "capable, enthusiast" cars.
Enthusiasts in India are way to low for Fiat's sustenance.

8) The Leaders- Alto/Swift/Dzire/ Wagon R

They gobble close to 65,000 units between them.
What do you decipher?
Trust on this tin cans, extremely reliability, low cost of maintenance, Pawan Putra Hanuman(Maruti) ensures the company and the customers are happy.

With Bhagwan's ashirwad(and funds from Suzuki considering MSIL will be their biggest global unit), the scenario will be status quo.

Wagon R with AMT/Diesel/7 seater rumours will only see sales through the roof.

9) Santro

Goodbye and Thank you. Like the legendary Brian Lara questioned when he retired:
"Did I Entertain?".

Santro, you have been dear to Indians. You engaged, empowered and entertained(not the driver's delight, pls. dont hold my neck) a great deal.
RIP and sad to see you leave.

10) i10 and i20

Superior cars, superior results. Progress by Hyundai shows and it translates to sales.
Wish many such happy outings for the duo

11) City

Strength to strength, it annihilates the Ciaz. This was supposed to be a even fight.
It turned out to be the World Cup Semi Finals between Germany and Brazil where in the latter got a 6 goal drubbing.

Ciaz can bounce back. I still see it in the 5K mark.

12) Duster/Terrano/Ecosport

The compact SUVs are doing well and share almost 9K sales between them.
I always felt the Terrano was more in terms of refinement as compared to the Duster.

It looks like Honda is winning the battle with TATA(Zest) and Maruti (Ciaz). That indeed is brand value capitalisation. However, better quality would have been an equally potent weapon against the Dzire with respect to Amaze.

I loved the sales figure of Elite and would hope that they go North in the coming months. Ecosport and Scorpio deserve more sales numbers as well.

1) Ciaz3xxx is practically 50% of the mighty City Sales.
Do we see another disappointment here?

Fail to understand if it is the perception alone that plays spoil sport between the City and the Ciaz.

2)Zest
3000 odd again is a shocker.
T-BHP COTY and a very competent vehicle selling so low is not understandable.

Since both these cars are brand new, supply chain might not be running at full capacity. (E.g. : all the suppliers might not have built the peak capacity yet, some supplier might still be fixing issues found in first few production runs).

It looks like Honda is winning battle with TATA(Zest) and Maruti (Ciaz). That indeed is a brand value capitalisation. However, a better quality would have been equally potent weapon against Dzire with respect to Amaze.

I loved the sales figure of Elite and would hope that they will go North in coming months. Ecosport and Scorpio deserve more sales number as well.

Elite Sales have actually dropped by over 10% Month on Month.
Eco sport sales have stagnated and Ford dealers and their high handedness attitude is to blame here.

Dont be surprised if Ecosport sales slide further. Ford wants to build Rome in a Day and hence price hikes to EcoSport has been too frequent to anybody's liking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Since both these cars are brand new, supply chain might not be running at full capacity. (E.g. : all the suppliers might not have built the peak capacity yet, some supplier might still be fixing issues found in first few production runs).

I agree with you on the capacity constraints though Ciaz production line already has the production capacity of 100000 cars per annum.

Ciaz may be suffering from perception paralysis and even the "soft recall" could have hampered its sales.

Zest-Unexplainable as even the Manza line is being ramped up for Zest.
No capacity constraint here as well.

It is pretty clear who is the winner on Zest's account.

Isn't it simple "amazing"

Last edited by GTO : 7th January 2015 at 16:10.
Reason: No shortforms when referring to cars please (e.g. ES)

The honeymoon period for the Indian Auto industry in terms of sales, is now over. In what was the last month of reaping the most benefits due to the excise duty cut, which incidentally was the last month of the year as well, sales surged for the domestic market leaders, but not much so for the laggards, some of whom posted a surprising negative sales percentage as compared to last year figures.

Chevrolet: The slump continues for the General Motors brand. The Beat continues to be their best performer but in terms of segment sales, is nothing much to write home about. The facelift due this year should bring about a boost in sales. The Sail twins have disappointed, and the Cruze needs a major makeover badly. The biggest slump is seen in the Tavera's sales (over 50%). Overall, not a year which Chevy would be proud of.

Fiat: The Evo makeover did bring a brief spark to the Punto's sales, but that gradually died down. Same went for the Linea, and now the Avventura finds itself in the same doldrums. Hopefully 2015 should bring about some cheer for Fiat, since they have some big launches lined up throughout the year (read "Abarth"!).

Ford: The EcoSport continues it's lone-warrior run for the American giant, although it suffers a loss of over 40% in sales compared to the figures a few months back. Ford must not be complaining, since they are minting money through exports. The Figo must have seen it's absolute lowest numbers this month, which is a big indication about the next-gen (Ka) facelift being right around the corner. The Fiesta, despite being an excellent all-rounder, is still pathetic in sales. The Classic has had it's run - the upcoming Ka sedan should fill up it's shoes nicely. The big ole' Endeavour is in line for a new generation as well.

HM-Mitsubishi: Even the oxygen tank is failing now. Amidst rampant speculations about Mitsu's future including new SUV launches, a hatch (Mirage) launch, etc., nothing looks concrete for the company which was once known for it's hot, exciting offerings in the Indian market.

Honda: Wonderful numbers completes a stupendous year for the Japanese auto giant. The wonderful 1.5L i-DTEC and some stupendous offerings have seen them clock over 1 lakh sales in a calendar year for the first time ever in India, which was driven by the all-new City, the Mobilio and the Amaze numbers. Sudden dried up interest in the Mobilio should be a cause for worry for the Honda head honchos though - no doubt the VFM Ertiga and the immensely practical Innova are snatching the numbers here. With the Jazz lined up for 2015 alongwith a few facelifts, it promises to be a time for more growth in the future.

Hyundai: Another car major who has grown from strength to strength throughout the year, Hyundai finishes 2014 with a record 4.10 lakh sales! The Elite i20, despite being a premium product, has hit the bullseye with the Indian customer. Between that and the Grand i10, Hyundai has found 2 contenders who are beating the Maruti Swift with their composite sales, and that says a LOT! The Eon and the XCent continue to provide superb figures, and with the Verna facelift, the i20 Cross and the ix25 SUV coming up in 2015, it promises to be another great year for the Korean manufacturer at the sales office.

Mahindra: The home-grown auto giant has had a wonderful 2014 as well. The Bolero continued to be it's bestseller, while the Scorpio and the XUV 500 have been leaders in their segments as well. With a slew of small/big SUV/MUV launches lined up for 2015, it could very well be M&M's best year yet, when it has a great chance of cementing the #3 spot in the Indian Auto market.

Maruti: They say competition brings out the best in you, and no better example of this than Maruti-Suzuki. Clocking almost 1 lakh sales month-after-month is no mean feat, let me tell you. No less than FOUR segment leaders in it's lineup drive the company's sales, and they show no signs of relenting anytime soon. With a very competent 800cc 2-cylinder diesel coming up in the future to power the Celerio and the WagonR, MSIL could very well notch up over 1 lakh sales on a monthly basis throughout 2015, and that won't be surprising. Just imagine what kind of response a Celerio/WagonR diesel AMT might create!

Nissan/Datsun: Lack of dealership numbers and atrocious after-sales are showing in the Nissan numbers. The Go had a good start but has tapered down in recent times, and the Go+ has only just teed off it's innings from this month onwards. The Micra & the Sunny have lost favor with the Indian customer, despite being immense VFM offerings in their respective segments. The Terrano is holding it's own in it's segment, but definitely the Duster & the Scorpio are proving to be too hot to handle. Nissan needs a bit of re-thinking in their Indian strategy, specially for 2015.
Renault: The French automaker is still riding the one-horse pony, called the Duster. The Pulse & the Scala find themselves sharing the same fate as their Jap cousins, and the Fluence is faring very poorly in the D1 segment. Renault is all set to grab a chunk of the MPV pie with it's soon-to-be-launched VFM offering Lodgy, which might bring a bit more cheer to their camp.

Skoda: The Rapid facelift enjoys it's good run, but the rest of the Czech pack is actually poor in their sales' marks. The Octavia, despite being a superb segment offering, is getting whipped. Same goes for the Superb. Will the Yeti facelift bring a smile on Skoda's dismal face? Only time will tell.

Tata: The Indica/Indigo twins and their sedan siblings have enjoyed a great run upto their exit, and now the baton is passed to the Bolt/Zest and the upcoming Kite/Kite-sedan. Nano's numbers see an improvement after the Twist variants have been launched, and 2015 should see them swell a bit more. Same goes for the mighty Storme, which is in line for a much-needed facelift. The Aria is well and truly a sales dud, and now with MSIL's Mayank Pareek at the helm, Tata Motors would be hoping that the coming days would see a surge in sales under this great man's leadership.

Toyota: The Innova continues to be a strong seller, and the Etios twins have seen a small surge in sales (no doubt due to TKM's rural strategy in the latter half of 2014). The Fortuner leads the pack in the D2-segment, while the Corolla has brought in some decent numbers as well. With the Fortuner & Innova facelifts launched in January, combined with their strategy of offering full safety features across all variants in their lineup, Toyota's numbers should see a worthy increase in the days to come.

Volkswagen: It's been a mixed bag of sorts for the German auto giant. Where the Polo raked in the numbers due to it's fantastic facelift + TSI/TDI offerings, the Vento has gone down badly in it's segment, hurt in no mean terms by newer, better segment offerings. The Vento facelift might add some numbers to existing sales, but VW needs to go back to the drawing board for some serious re-thinking for it's marketing strategies. A recent announcement about bringing in more powerful, performance-oriented variants of it's bestseller, the Polo, is a great thing. Also, apart from Toyota, Volkswagen is the only other car major in India which provides complete safety features across all it's Polo variants.
The buzz around it's upcoming compact SUV offering (Taigun) is tremendous and there is some anticipation for the Vento CS as well - now it remains to be seen if VW will pull a bunny out of the hat with some seriously competitive, surprising launch prices for them.

Last edited by Aditya : 7th January 2015 at 11:59.
Reason: As requested

Ciaz production line already has the production capacity of 100000 cars per annum.

Zest-Unexplainable as even the Manza line is being ramped up for Zest.
No capacity constraint here as well.

Apart from capacity at plant, capacity at vendor's end also takes time to scale and is more difficult problem to solve. Smaller suppliers would not have financial muscle to run at peak capacity in first few month.

The table which shows the sales by models for each brand per month, i see Tata Motors Bolt is showing sales of 852 units in Dec 14. However, Tata Motors has only started taking bookings for bolt, no sale has been made so far.